Former Secretary General of the Syrian Coalition, Abdul Ilah Fahad, called for bringing Bashar al-Assad and all those involved in the use of chemical weapons in Syria to account, the incidents of which all have been confirmed by UN investiogators.

Fahad was speaking during a conference on chemical weapons and mines in the US capital Washington in the period between 19-21 September.

Fahd gave a detailed overview of the number of victims of chemical attacks. He pointed out that the failure to hold Assad accountable for these crimes gave him the green light to launch more attacks against the Syrian people.

Fahd urged the international community to provide urgent assistance to the Syrian people and support their demands for freedom and dignity. He emphasized that this can only be achieved through the achievement of transitional justice after war criminals have been held to account.

UN investigators in early September announced they had evidence of the responsibility of the Assad regime for at least 27 out of 33 chemical attacks that took place in Syria following the issuance of UN Security Council resolution 2118 in 2012. The attacks included the April 4 sarin attack on the town of Khan Sheikoun claiming the lives of around 100 civilians, many of them women and children.

The Coalition called for the activation of Article 21 of UNSC resolution 2118 which threatened measures under Chapter VII of the UN Charter in case chemical weapons were used. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)